The Cover Story
by Shiny Red Cape
Summary: The Order step up their attacks so Chloe has to put some distance between her and the people she loves. The idea of 'moving in with her boyfriend Alek' doesn't go down well, but as time passes the line between real and pretend gets harder to remember. 2/?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I haven't read the books, so everything is based in TV!verse. Rating may change in future depending on how far I go with this. Reviews are appreciated.

Alek watched as Chloe shifted slightly in her position on the couch, even with the wounds shrinking before his eyes she winced a little from the pain the movement caused, frowning in her sleep. Some discomfort was to be expected, he didn't know anyone else who could take dying so well.

Dying.

The word bought him back to the picture that had been circling around his head ever since they'd found her. Chloe, dead on the ground, the slashes marring her body jumping out an obscenely garish red. And the moment, the wrenching moment when all he could do was offer deals to the Goddess and try not to breathe. How much time had they had with her, how much damage? Let this be the second death and not the last. The feelings were still there now, the pounding rage that coursed with each heartbeat, the cold sleek certainty of revenge to come, mashed into a ball, encased in a hard fist and lodged in his chest.

But Chloe came first. As much as he wanted to track down the Order's pet bastard and leave some slashes of his own, getting Chloe out had been the priority. Jasmine and he had gotten her home, even though it had meant the new assassin escaping. They would get him back, the Mai had their own pets at their disposal. Jasmine had gone to join her mother on the hunt, but Alek wouldn't, couldn't, leave her now. Even here, in the safety of Valentina's apartment, he didn't quite dare take his eyes off her. As if she would disappear if he looked away. And from the fact that Jasmine hadn't even offered to stay in his place, he probably wasn't doing as good a job of hiding it as he should be.

They couldn't continue the way they had been, with the Order circling ever closer, getting increasingly bold with each attempt. Contingency plans had been discussed of course, but Chloe was so young, so new to the changes in her life, and so close to the humans she'd be raised with. Maybe that was part of what made her able to fulfil the prophecy of being the Uniter? Maybe it was fate? Alek didn't know much about fate, save he'd be screwed by it a few times in his life. He wasn't totally against the idea of screwing it back if it meant keeping the girl in front of him safe. After tonight, after the rising violence of the last couple of months, he doubted any of the Mai would argue with the idea.

Almost any. Chloe, he was betting, would have more than a few arguments to make. She always did. Maybe that was why he...?

He didn't finish the thought. Better to gather the remnants of his mental energy to use planning out his approach to this, it was going to take a lot of suave and not a little bit of brute force to get things moving.

He looked at her again. A moment more. His thoughts couldn't quite hold their pattern, his senses still working overtime trying to bring him down from the hyper-alert state he'd spent most the evening in. He would figure out plans later, all that was important for now was him and her and this dim room, and the fact that she was breathing in it.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay guys, part two. Just a quick note though, I wrote chapter 1 before I saw s1e7 'Dogs of War', so romantically speaking Chloe had told Brian she can't be with him, but her and Alek haven't kissed. However, events from the next ep (Alek saving Chloe and her mum) could potentially be useful to me, so I'm going to say that at this point that ep 8 has happened, but not the romance storyline.

* * *

><p>"Are you mentally deficient! I mean, were you actually dropped on your head as a child? Because I'd try and be more patient with your moments of complete lunacy if I knew there was a legitimate disability involved"<p>

Alek looked at Chloe, awake, healed and most definitely arguing. In retrospect, he probably shouldn't have led with the idea of them moving in together. He'd had some very convincing points to make before he worked up to that, but his mouth had overrun his brain. It tended to do that a lot around her. Fortunately for him, Valentina saw the imminent disaster rearing its head and stepped in before he could open his mouth again and make things worse. The older woman usually exuded calm and control, her presence demanding the same from those surrounding her.

Usually. They had passed the point of reasoning a while back.

"We know as a solution seems somewhat... unorthodox-"

"Unorthodox!"

"-_however_, this really is the only way we can convince your mother-"

"You think this is going to convince her of ANYTHING-"

"STOP!"

Jasmine, silent up until now, broke into the argument. Her face was pleading as she crossed the plush carpeting towards the sofa and sat down, fixing her gaze directly to Chloe's. The blond looked ready to bolt any minute, Alek couldn't fault her instincts with that one.

"I know this seems - is - a little crazy, but this isn't something you can just refuse to hear, we didn't consider this plan lightly and we wouldn't be talking about it if things hadn't hit breaking point. We know how important it is to you to try and live a normal life. We're all willing to give our lives protecting you if we have to, but we're at the point when that's not enough anymore. You may not like what you hear, but respect us enough to hear them. We deserve that much."

Chloe dropped her gaze and sat silently for a minute, fingers moving restlessly over her rings and bracelets, suddenly fascinated with making sure they were all perfectly straight. Jasmine's words had obviously hit a nerve.

Eventually she took a deep breath, "Okay, you're right, I owe you enough to at least listen to you. I'm absolutely not saying I'll agree with this, but... I'll listen".

A palpable sense of relief swept through the other Mai. "Thank you" said Valentina, settling on her other side. "As Jasmine said, we wouldn't ask this of you unless we had exhausted all other avenues". She took a deep breath, readying herself for the speech they'd prepared. "With attacks on you becoming more difficult to deal with, the only way we're going to be able to protect you is if we can put you into a safer environment".

There was a flicker of movement from Chloe as she went to say something and then stopped herself. She nodded at Valentina to continue.

"We're trying to achieve two things here; keeping you safe and keeping your secret. We know asking you to move in with Alek seems impossible now, but it's the only normal reason we can give to your mother for your wanting to leave". Unseen by Valentina from his position near the door, Alek put up his fingers in air quotes and mouthed 'normal' with a smirk, trying to get Chloe to crack a smile. She didn't seem as amused as he'd hoped, and the look Jasmine shot him seemed to promise dismemberment of some kind. "Before we found you, every Pride had a plan in place to protect the Uniter should he or she present themselves. All of us had a safe house, a support system and an extraction plan ready should it be needed. I wish we could just tell your mother you were moving in with Jasmine, but she's never going to understand why you've got this sudden need to move in with friends. Your mother may hate the idea that you want to move in with a boy, but if she thinks you're in love it will explain why you feel so strongly about it. It's a reason she can process". She paused a moment, inviting a response. Chloe took a moment to choose her words carefully.

"I understand what you're saying, but you don't get it, There is NO way my mom is going to agree to me moving out with anyone, much less a boy. No matter how human the reason"

"That's where we come in. You have to appreciate how deeply the Mai have entrenched themselves into society. If we want to continue with that secrecy, we need people in the right places to make the world look the other way. We can have a judge declare you emancipated, so your mother wouldn't be able to stop you, legally you'd be an adult".

Chloe looked stricken and appalled at the thought. "How could I do that to her? We've never been apart for more than a day, I tried going to a sleepover once when I was 9, I got three hours in and they had to call her to come and get me. I-I-I can't just abandon her!"

"We know" Jasmine assured her, "Originally we thought we could stage an accident and take you away somewhere, but once we got to know you we realised that you'd never be able to do that. We know you'll have a huge fight with her, and it's going to be hard, but after you've broken the news we'll introduce Valentina as Alek's legal guardian. Do you know the St. Gertrude's Preparatory School?"

"Er, yeah, I think my mom tried to get me in there when she was looking at high schools, she said it was the best school around, but we couldn't get in. Something about me not meeting the entry requirements? The fees were insane anyway". The others were exchanging a smile "What's so funny?"

"If only we'd known, we'd have drafted you an acceptance letter there and then" Valentine answered, "St. Gertrude's is a Mai school, and I'm the head of the board of directors"

"If you head a school then why do Alek and Jasmine go to school with me?" Chloe asked frowning.

"We keep a few people with the general public, watching out for unknown Mai starting their transformations, just like you. The point is if we tell your mother that I've given permission for Alek to live with you provided you both stay in school, especially somewhere like St. Gertrude's, it may reassure your mother a bit. I can reassure her that you and Alek will have a place to live and stay in education, I can present myself as a link with you and an ally for her, someone who can report back on how you are and help you 'see reason' about what you're doing. Eventually I can say I've convinced you to see her, somewhere neutral to talk. This is going to hurt Chloe, breaking things off is going to hurt, but it's the best thing for both of you. For now at least."

Chloe went quiet at the thought of the actual fight. Could she do this? "It's going to kill her"

"You're going to kill her"

It was like a slap in the face. "Alek!" It was rare that mother and daughter saw eye to eye, glad to see he could unite them against him; both women had jumped to their feet.

"I'm not saying this to make you feel bad" he said, coming towards her to crouch down at her level "I'm stating a fact. Have you forgotten hiding in that closet already? You think that your house is so hard to find for anyone who's looking? Every moment you're there you put your mum in danger. You think leaving will kill her? Staying is the best way to guarantee it". He was focusing completely on her, and she found she couldn't quite look away, blood rushing to her face. "Chloe, please" he begged softly.

Tears welling, she nodded.


End file.
